Sex Crimes

Santa Rosa Sex Crimes

Being arrested or even investigated for any sex crime is a frightening and embarrassing experience. Not only is your freedom at stake, you can also face the loss of your family, your career, and your reputation. Because an allegation of sexual misconduct should never be taken lightly, you need to enlist the help of a qualified attorney who can defend you against a sex crimes charge at the earliest possible stage. Amy Chapman has successfully defended people accused of child molestation, rape, date rape, statutory rape, sexual battery, prostitution, pimping, indecent exposure, lewd conduct, child pornography, Internet sex crimes, and failing to register as a sex offender. You can be assured that the Law Office of Amy Chapman has the resources, knowledge, and experience to defend you against any type of sex offense.

Consequences of a sex offense conviction

For the most serious sexual offenses, you can be sentenced to life in prison, even if you have no criminal history. Many sex offenses are considered strikes under California’s Three Strikes Law, which can result in mandatory state prison and increased penalties if you are ever convicted of another felony. Convictions for certain sex crimes could lead to your being civilly committed in a state hospital for the rest of your life, even after you have served your full sentence. Even less serious sex crimes can lead to incarceration, mandatory sex offender counseling, mandatory AIDS testing, and hefty fines. A conviction for many sex related offenses, even some misdemeanors, will result in mandatory registration as a sex offender for the rest of your life. Your name and address could end up in a public database for anyone to see. If you are required to register as a sex offender, you must update your registration at least once a year and within five days of changing your address.

Defense of sex crimes

The Law Office of Amy Chapman understands that not everyone accused of a sex offense is actually guilty. Everyone suspected of a sex crime deserves a full and vigorous defense. Your defense will start with a thorough investigation to examine the motivation of the accuser. These claims often hinge on the statement of just one person, sometimes made days or even years after the alleged conduct took place. If your case needs to go to jury trial, we can have expert witnesses in forensics and psychology available to assist in your defense. Let us help you avoid the devastating consequences that come with a sex offense conviction.

What Is The First Thing To Do After A Sex Crime Arrest?

The most important thing is to remain silent and not give a statement to law enforcement and to contact an attorney as soon as possible. It’s also important to have no contact at all with the accused or their family.

Are People Involved in Sex Crime Cases Generally Strangers or Do they Know Each Other?

It’s almost always between people who know each other; in a child case, it can often be a relative or close family friend. Many rape cases are date rape cases, not stranger rape cases, and it’s more likely than not that most sex cases involve parties that know each other.

I also defend newer types of cases, especially digital forms of sex crimes known as “revenge porn.” These can be harder to defend against because typically the evidence is there in digital form, which means it can be retrieved and it can be seen; often, there’s corroborating evidence in the form of the digital photos or videos that can back up the accused’s claim. That makes it unlike other sex crimes, for which there are typically no witnesses and it’s one person’s word against the other.

Who Can Find Out About My Arrest or Prosecution for a Sex Crime Case?

All arrests and prosecutions are a matter of public record; whether or not they’re publicized in the local press depends on the particular interest in that case, but anything is public record. On the other hand, your employer won’t be automatically notified unless you’re unfortunate enough to be arrested at work. If your friends, family or even your employer are potential witnesses in the case, they may be contacted by law enforcement to be interviewed.

What Common Mistakes do People Commit in Sex Crime Cases?

The biggest mistake people make is talking too much, especially to law enforcement, where they can be tripped up by a skilled interrogator; their words can be twisted and they can also succumb to what’s called the Pretext Phone Call in which they’ll have the alleged victim make a phone call to the accused and record it, in an attempt to get them to admit or apologize for the conduct; those phone calls can be very damaging. Contacting the victim in any way, especially if it’s to either beg them to not go to law enforcement or threaten them against going to law enforcement should never happen.

What About the Stigma Attached to Sex Crime Allegations?

It’s a huge stigma to be accused of a sex crime; whether you have been charged yet or not, the connotation that accompanies that spreads among your family, your friends, your workplace, possibly even the community at large, depending on how well-publicized it is. Even if you’re ultimately exonerated and found to be innocent or acquitted, people will always remember that accusation.

When clients start to despair, I tell them to not give up, that there are a number of possible outcomes in any type of case and even people who are ultimately convicted of a sex crime can still lead happy lives. That said, people accused of sex crimes are often terrified of what can happen; they’re shocked, angry and often depressed, they’re incredulous and their minds are usually spinning with all of the possible repercussions of what could happen if they are convicted of a sex offense.

Contact an Experienced Sex Crimes Attorney

If you are being investigated or have been arrested for a sex crime, call or contact Amy Chapman today at (888) 570-3024 to schedule a confidential and free consultation about your case.